Explore South Eastern Kruger Park

Warthog wallowing. Photo: Michael Poliza

There's more chance of seeing the Big Five in the south-east of the Park than just about anywhere else in Kruger. Water is available all year round from the two main rivers of southern Kruger - the Sabie and the Crocodile. The basalt underlying the grasslands retains water in pans long after the rains have gone, and supports a sweet grassveld favoured by grazers.

The lowest point in Kruger is where the Sabie River cuts through the Lebombo (120m) range and enters Mozambique. The south-east is hot and dry, with less rainfall (300mm pa) than the Park average (650mm pa). Malaria is a concern during summer.

Nhlowa Road to Lower Sabie (S28); 28km;
1 hour; dust road; open savanna grassland with good views over the Lebombo; usually good for grazers and excellent for birding.

Ancient Animals

Rhinos and crocodiles go back a long time. A common ancestor to the rhinos one sees today has been traced back to 50 million years ago. African rhinos evolved from the Asian lineage approximately 10 million years ago.

The black rhino (Diceros bicornis) is more primitive than the white rhino (Ceratotherium simum), which separated ancestral pathways approximately four to 5 million years ago. Rhinos have passed their evolutionary peak and survive only in protected areas.

The crocodile has a much older ancestry. Its origins lie in the archaesaurs approximately 200 million years ago. Crocodiles, in their present evolutionary state, survived the mass extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.